


Creeping Pine

by humanoid_life_form



Category: SOMA (Video Game)
Genre: Apocalypse, Backstory, Body Horror, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Sad Ending, Starvation, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:47:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24861802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanoid_life_form/pseuds/humanoid_life_form
Summary: We only know Jin Yoshida as the final enemy in the game—the power suit monster, the tentacle guy, the creepy, gooey, gurgling, WAU-infestedthing.But he was a human being before all that shit.
Relationships: Steve Glasser/Jin Yoshida
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Dive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin is starting his new job with PATHOS-II.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are surprisingly few fics about Jin Yoshida's human side. I aim to rectify that.
> 
> Enjoy!

** 2098-01-14 (Tuesday) **

Jin Yoshida adjusted his dress shirt, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles. Even through the closed blinds, the sunlight felt oppressive. The reflective quality of the office's ridiculously white walls probably had something to do with that.

He wondered how much longer he'd have to sit here. It had been nearly twenty minutes already—twenty long minutes filled with lots of probing questions and hypothetical scenarios, and Jin was starting to feel tired.

The well-dressed woman sitting across the desk from him scanned the papers before her with the back end of her pen. The PATHOS-II logo was emblazoned proudly on her ID tag. _Hirano Carina, Hiring Manager._

Jin swallowed, cringing slightly when the sound resonated entirely too loudly. Carina, thankfully, did not seem to notice.

"Well." She looked back to him and gave a warm smile. "Yoshida-san. PATHOS-II has very high standards when it comes to employees. We want people who are innovative, who push the boundaries of known science. People who strive for success."

Hesitantly, he nodded.

"And with this in mind," she continued, folding her hands together and leaning toward him, eyes glowing with a reserved, calm type of joy, "we think you'd be a _great_ fit for our team."

Jin blinked. His eyes darted to the papers on the desk, then to the woman's folded hands, then back to her face.

A _great fit._ Something about sitting here and actually hearing it—in real life—stunned him.

"Really?" he said haltingly.

She nodded. "Your school record is impressive. You graduated at the top of your class, and you are an established contributor in the Japan Radiological Society only four months after graduating." She glanced down at the papers again. "And I see in your file that you specialize in marine radiology, and you've expressed your fascination with marine life in general. Your paper about anglerfish mutations has gained a lot of attention from our team."

And then, with a surprisingly fierce smile dancing in her eyes, Carina leaned forward and said, "We want you working with us, Yoshida-san."

Her directness took him aback. He blinked again. "Can I... have some time to think about it?"

Her smile turned gentle, more understanding, but Jin knew she wasn't about to go back on her assertion. "Absolutely," she said, drawing a business card from a small pile on her desk and offering it to him. "Give me a call when you decide."

Jin took the card and nodded. They stood together and bowed to each other, and Carina rounded the desk to open the door. He thanked her as he left the office, fingering the card in his hands and feeling numb as he made his way toward the elevators.

* * *

**2098-01-17 (Friday)**

"Well, you've gotta do it, no question." Satomi took a long sip of her iced coffee, watching him from across the kitchen table.

It was morning in their family's Tokyo apartment —9:32 am, to be exact —and Jin hadn't really slept much the night before. His mind was buzzing with too many thoughts about PATHOS-II, too many runaway daydreams about reverently walking the ocean floor and admiring at the bio-luminescent creatures he found there.

"It's a huge job," he said, watching the ice cubes swirl around in his sister's cup as she stirred with her straw.

"Which is what you _want_ ," she insisted, and she had a point. Jin _did_ want this job —He wanted it more than anything else in the world. What was better then being a marine radiologist who actually worked _in the ocean?_

But at the same time, it felt almost _too_ real. Reality would not be nearly as forgiving as an idle daydream. He didn't know if he could actually handle working so much —let alone working that far from his own home.

"Look." Satomi set her coffee down and rested her arms on the table, regarding him with a searching look that always made him slightly uncomfortable. "You don't feel ready. That's normal. No one ever feels ready when they accept a job like this."

She seemed to be waiting for acknowledgement, so he nodded.

"But like I said," she continued, "you've wanted this type of job your entire _life,_ Jin! Since you were little."

That was true. Jin remembered rolling his fish plushies across the floor when he was eight, studying the big ocean books he got for Christmas, the ones filled with pictures and diagrams. And he remembered memorizing bones and organs when he was eleven, making his big sister quiz him. His teachers at school knew him affectionately as _fishu kiddo_ —the fish kid.

His fascination with ocean creatures had persisted into high school, manifesting itself through countless research papers, late-night study sessions, and the accumulation of several species of fish, which he kept in an aquarium in his room.

"Take the job," said Satomi, snapping him out of his reverie. "It's your calling, Jin. I know it is. _You_ know it is."

When he met her eyes, she smiled —and it  was a _real_ smile, soft and gentle, which was rare from her. He blinked, trying and ultimately failing to acclimate to this sincerity.

She was telling him to take the job because he would absolutely, without-a-doubt fall in love with it, and he knew she was right. And really... there was no time like the present.

Oh, stars. Why not.

"I'll call Hirano-san today," he said quietly.

Satomi's smile widened. "Good."

* * *

**2098-02-08 (Saturday)**

"You feel ready?"

Jin stared at Steve Glasser's face on the computer screen, wondering what kind of question that was. "Of course not," he said.

Steve smiled sympathetically, which did nothing to relax Jin. "Why not?"

Jin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's a huge job." He recognized it as an echo of what he'd told his sister all those weeks ago. "What if I screw it up?"

Steve's smile softened and turned more contemplative. He rubbed at the stubble on his chin.

Jin said, "I'm 22. I don't even have my own place, for fuck's sake."

Steve's dark brows knitted together. "You know, I was 23 when I started at Tau," he said. "I was pretty much just as weirded out as you are right now." His expression shifted, remembering. "Probably worse, actually," he admitted. "But it's like that for everyone."

Jin huffed. That's exactly what Satomi had told him. Even coming from Steve, it was not helpful.

Steve seemed to pick up on that, and his expression turned more serious. "I think you're worried you've bitten off more than you can chew. That right?"

Jin nodded, trying not to roll his eyes. _Tell me something I don't know._

"Hey." Steve leaned in to his screen, his dark eyes suddenly intense. "We're gonna be here the whole time. You're not gonna be by yourself.  You know that."

Jin gave the tiniest of nods.

"And _we're_ not perfect, either. We fuck stuff up all the time." His face hinted at another smile. "I fucked up just this week, actually." He sat back in his chair, grinning a little. "I left a dissection out for three days straight, and I came back to find it rotting because I hadn't even preserved it right. Fucking _stank._ "

Jin cracked a smile. "Seriously?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, seriously. It wasn't a super-important one, thankfully, but still.... I've been here at Tau for four years."

Four _years?_ Jin laughed. "Wow."

"So it's okay to screw up," Steve said. "In fact, I'd be impressed if you didn't."

Jin let out a long breath, feeling his shoulders relax. It's okay to screw up....

"Even if I'm the new guy?" he asked. He needed the reassurance.

"Dude— _especially_ if you're the new guy." Steve was smiling full-on now, and Jin's breath hitched a little when he realized it was very handsome. _He_ was very handsome, all noble-looking with his broad shoulders, square jaw, and perfectly messy dark blond hair....

Jin caught himself and startled a little, willing the thoughts down. Sure, Steve was attractive. But there was no way Jin would ever get with a colleague; Imagine the break-up. Imagine the aftermath. Might as well multiply it hundred-fold with it being at the bottom of the fucking ocean.

"Hey," said Steve, and Jin startled again, feeling a familiar heat creep up his face.

Steve's smile softened even more. He had misinterpreted the reaction. "How about this: When you get here, I'll show you around personally. And I'll train you with the power suits."

_Whoa._ That was a step in... a direction. Right or wrong, Jin didn't know. He decided he didn't care.

"You're certified to train with power suits?" he asked.

Steve snorted like the answer should've been obvious. "Yeah, of course. You need the certification to train people in the first place."

When Jin only stared at him, Steve's grin widened.

"Rule One at Tau, Jin?" he said. "Trust your colleagues."

Well, Jin could hardly say no to that. "Alright.... Deal."

* * *

** 2098-04-21 (Monday) **

"So." Steve gestured widely around the room. "This is the dive room. Home of the Haimatsu Power Suits."

Site Tau was pretty much exactly how it looked on the map, which Jin had studied for hours on end before finally coming here. They were currently toward the front of the facility, which was where Jin would be spending most of his work days —and where he'd gear up before heading out into the open water.

Jin sidestepped the ceiling-anchored computer terminal and stood before the HPS3 chamber. There were four suit lockers here, each housing a full, intact power suit. The suits themselves were pale, bulky things with a huge helmets —Absurdly, he thought of those two-hundred-year-old astronaut suits that the first moon walkers used.

"The terminal's here." Steve said, and Jin turned to see him waving him over. "Central hub for power suit control."

When Jin had come to stand beside him, Steve gestured to the screen and continued.

"Three things," he said. "Suit statuses, user logs, and maps." He clicked through everything, the screen informing them that all four suits were offline and stationed at Tau. Judging by the user log, Steve seemed to favor HPS2.

He navigated back to the HPS3 screen and hit _OPEN,_ and a loud noise from locker 3 made Jin jump.

Mechanical arms reached out from the walls to disassemble the power suit, twisting the helmet up and off, removing the back panel with a loud crack. Only the suit's legs stayed in place, the hips situated at floor level to allow for easy step-in entry. Jin walked with Steve back over to the chamber, staring.

"Obviously pretty easy to get in," Steve said, "but you still need to make sure everything's in place. We usually have neoprene bodysuits on, but since you're just training, I won't make you go through all that today." He paused, thinking, and then: "You do need the harness, though." He went over to an employee locker and retrieved what looked like a tangle of bright orange belts from it.

Jin watched as Steve untangled the belts, wishing he'd had the forethought to look _this_ stuff up before now.

"So —alright." Steve managed to get the harness in order, and he held it up for Jin to see, and Jin nodded his acknowledgement.

His worries were abated somewhat after Steve demonstrated the putting-on process. It seemed simple enough — putting arms and legs through the loops, tightening the straps, double-checking that everything was snug. When Jin confirmed he was ready to try it, Steve took the harness off and handed it to him.

He got his limbs through the loops with no issues, and he tightened the belts across his chest and hips. The thigh loops presented more trouble, though; the left one seemed stuck, and Jin bent down to tug harder, his hair falling into his face a little.

It didn't work. _Dammit._ He tried the other leg and got a similar result.

"Here, uh...." Steve came around to Jin's front and knelt down to look. He frowned as he reached out to try his own hand.

Jin tensed as he felt Steve's fingers skim gently against his leg, working to fix the belts. He was mumbling something about them being "a bitch to get on sometimes," but Jin could really only focus on his hands as they worked the straps tighter. He drew in a breath as he felt Steve's fingers slip under the harness, tugging to test how secure it was. He shut his eyes momentarily and forced his breathing to steady out —and tried to force a certain below-the-waist reaction to quit while it was ahead.

Steve's work was nothing but professional efficiency, and he stood and stepped back as soon as the loops were tight. Jin muttered a quick "Thanks," double-checking his other belts before walking over to the power suit. The flexibility of the harness surprised him.

"Go ahead and step in," Steve said, and Jin obliged, slipping his legs down into the suit and latching the pieces onto his harness. He grabbed the chest piece and fastened it, and he pushed his arms through the sleeves. He found the SECURE button on his left arm and pushed it in —The mechanical whirring started up again, and Jin felt the back piece latch in. He saw the helmet come down over his head, and when it twisted and locked into place, he tried to turn—and he couldn't.

"Not yet." Steve's voice came in through a speaker in the helmet. "Don't forget—the suit needs to power up first."  


Obviously. Jin winced. "Right."  


Once it did power up, a beep sounded in his helmet. Jin pulled his arms up to get purchase on the hand grips and startled: His hand thoroughly _slammed_ into the wall, sending a resounding BANG around the room that Jin could clearly hear even through the helmet.

He stopped cold, staring at his hand. "Shit."  


He was already trying again—more _lightly_ —by the time Steve told him it was alright.

"Yeah, those things give you super strength," he said, and Jin thought he could hear the grin in his voice. "Sorry. Should've said sooner."

_No kidding?_ Jin scoffed and tried again, feeling strange when every movement seemed ridiculously exaggerated. He'd intend to move his hand about an inch, and it would shoot out ten times as far. He was certain he'd break his own bones—if he didn't rip a hole straight through to the ocean first.

Eventually, after careful, _careful_ inching, he successfully hoisted himself up out of the suit locker and turned around.

Steve was grinning. He flashed a thumbs-up, raising his eyebrows in a question: _You good?_

Jin returned the thumbs-up as confirmation.

"Good." Steve turned to look at the computer again. "Everything's looking good on my end. Let's try walking."

Once again, every movement felt strange, and it was even worse because Jin had to pay attention his entire body now. He slipped and stumbled and probably strained a few muscles, and he wondered why he had to use the damned thing inside until he realized he'd have to walk through the building to get out into the water at all—and he wouldn't want to kill anyone along the way.

The one comforting thought through the whole torture session was that this thing would actually feel normal under the intense pressure of the water outside. That, and Steve's persistent smile also told him he was doing alright.

It took about twenty minutes to feel comfortable in the suit, and even then, Jin's whole body felt rigid as stone.

By the time he'd finished and stripped out of the suit and harness, Jin was panting and aching and wanting nothing more than to just fucking _pass out._ He staggered to the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, wiping sweat off his brow.

"Well," said Steve when Jin looked up at him, "you're basically a natural. I've never seen anyone learn that fast."

Jin stared. "Are you fucking joking?"

"Not joking." Steve came over to lean against the wall beside him. "Look, I know you're shot right now, but seriously—it took me two hours to learn how to move my _arms_ in that thing. Your run? It's fuckin' impressive."

It didn't _feel_ "fucking impressive," but he supposed he appreciated the sentiment. Jin gave a weak smile.

Steve grinned back. "Keep up that pace, and you'll be out in the abyss in no time," he said.

The abyss.... Home. His reason for doing this.

Jin pushed himself up, grunting with the effort. He brushed his sweaty hair out of his face.

Steve went over to the door and pressed the button to open it.

"Go get a shower," he said with another trademark grin.

Jin nodded, walking on leaden legs toward the door.

When his eye contact lingered, Steve winked.


	2. Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin's getting more used to his life at Tau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this feels like an illicit affair... not because it's illegal but mostly because I take every bit of free time I have at work to write or doodle for this story. I'm not even supposed to sit down at work.... :s
> 
> But this story is absolutely worth it! I'll break every rule if it means I get to keep going!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!  
> <3

**2098-05-28 (Wednesday) **

Jin came into the lab room to find Steve staring intently at his computer screen, scrolling over each individual tooth in the scan image.

"You're _sure_ it's the one?" he asked, not turning away from the computer.

Well, it wasn't like staring at it for forty more years would change anything. Jin sighed.  "The tooth size is consistent," he said, casting a glance at one of the holding tanks, which held a decent-sized sabertooth fish that had a chunk torn from its side by abnormally large teeth.

"Anglerfish aren't carnivorous," muttered Steve for approximately the sixth time that day. "I don't get it."

Jin crossed the room to stand behind Steve's chair, looking at the screen over his shoulder. Steve was zoomed in on the anglerfish's mouth, scrutinizing the teeth roots now.

"Zoom out a bit and look at the jaw," Jin said, leaning in to point at the screen. When the entire mouth was in view, he gestured in a general circle at it. "It's wide enough. It matches the wound measurements on the sabertooth. I checked."

Steve glanced over at the sabertooth and then looked back at the screen, resting his chin in his hand. He exhaled, scrolling over the notes Jin had sent alongside the X-ray.

"I don't get it..." he said again.

"I don't, either," Jin responded, "but I guess we'll figure it out."

Steve made a small noise of acknowledgement . After another minute of silence, Jin walked over to an adjacent desk and pulled a chair out, moving it over so he could sit beside his colleague. Steve shifted to make room for him.

Normally, Jin was the one to spend hours poring over scans. Steve would poke around inside the actual fish. But something about this anglerfish's skeleton must have captivated him more than usual.

"I've never seen big teeth like that occur naturally," Jin supplied.

Steve nodded thoughtfully. "And it's hunting bigger fish," he said, "so that would mean its dietary habits are fucked up, too." He zoomed out until the whole skeleton was in view, frowning at it. "Almost like it's evolving."

Ah. There it is. _Evolving._

"We don't know that for sure," Jin reminded him. "This is just one fish. You've never caught one like this before, right?"

"Right, but...." Steve sat back in his chair, dragging a hand down his face. He looked exhausted. "There could be more. There probably _are_ more. And we don't know what that's gonna mean for the food chain, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know." Jin watched Steve, observing the shadows beneath his eyes. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Like I said—it's only one fish."

Steve chuckled a little, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I'm just thinking about it."

_Just thinking about it_ seemed like a bit of an understatement, but Jin decided not to say that aloud.

Jin turned his eyes back toward the screen, staring at the anglerfish skeleton. He did have to agree with Steve somewhat; the deviations from the normal biology were numerous and noticeable, and they didn't seem entirely random. He also had to entertain the idea that maybe the food chain _was_ changing. But he also needed the confirmation of multiple specimens— predators and prey alike.

"Let's try and find more of them," Jin said. "We need to know for sure."

For a minute, Steve didn't respond. He just stared at the computer screen, eyes glazed over like he might actually fall asleep right then and there— which, to Jin, didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"Take a break," he said quietly. "You've been at this for days."

Steve blinked, appearing to return to the present, and he mumbled, "Yeah."

And then he groaned and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he kneaded his eyes with his palms.

"This shit's crazy," he grumbled at the floor. He raised his head, dropping his hands. "I have never seen anything even _remotely_ like this."

Jin didn't know how to respond because he'd never seen anything like it, either.

* * *

** 2098-07-12 (Saturday) **

"Climber's all good," Steve said into his helmet. "We'll be back in a bit."

"Yoshida?" Vic Auclair's voice came through Jin's earpiece.

"Yeah, it's working fine," Jin confirmed.

"Spool house?"

"Motors are fine, and the cord's stable."

"Good."

With that, the comm link closed, and Jin turned his attention back to the docking platform.

The Climber was basically a deep sea elevator, carting people back and forth between Tau and Omicron. Jin craned his neck to look up into the climber shaft, the headlamps on his helmet illuminating several meters of cable and caging before fading into murky darkness. In total, the rig was 4,119 meters long. 4 kilometers. Jin tried to imagine four continuous kilometers of elevator shaft, marveling at how it didn't completely fall apart, even with the support frames.

"Ever seen the nightlife down here, Jin?"

Jin turned to see Steve climbing the steps to the docking platform.

"Nightlife?"

Steve turned to lean against the railing, staring out into the abyssal darkness. Jin came to stand beside him, resting his elbows on the railing. Both sets of headlamps shone out into the water, catching on the tiny particles floating by.

"The videos don't do it justice," Steve said. "First time I saw it in person, I almost cried."

Jin glanced at him. "Bio-luminescence?"

Steve chuckled softly. "I prefer 'disco lights,' but yes."

Jin raised his eyebrows, turning his head to look at Steve. "Disco, huh?" He smiled. "That's pretty ancient."

"An ancient _art._ " Steve looked at him and quirked an eyebrow, grinning a little. "Disco's the best thing to come out of the twentieth century."

That was debatable. "Not computers? Or... arcade cabinets?"

"Jin _Yoshida._ " Steve turned to face him, leaning sideways against the railing and crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned forward. "Have you ever, in your _entire_ life, listened to funk music?"

Jin's smile grew as he imagined Steve _breaking it down_ in a 1970's discotheque, outfitted in a mostly unbuttoned shirt, flared pants, and some seriously _bitchin'_ aviator sunglasses. "I've heard some," he said, trying to hold back his laugh. "On TV."

" _Only_ TV?" Steve looked absolutely scandalized. "Oh, no. My _guy._ "

"It's literally a hundred years old," Jin insisted. "About a hundred and thirty, actually."

_"That,"_ Steve pointed at Jin accusingly. "That is no excuse."

"Well—!" Jin spluttered and threw up his hands, staring incredulously at Steve. "I've never heard it because it's so _old!"_

" _Right_ ," Steve drawled, his tone dripping with sarcasm. His eyes lingered on Jin's face for a second as he turned back toward the open water. "I'm gonna have to culture you, Jin."

Jin snorted. "You do that. I need to feel the _groove."_

"That's right." Steve was smiling full-on, shaking his head. "You are in _dire_ need of the groove."

Jin laughed, and then his heart suddenly skipped a beat or two when his eyes met Steve's.

Steve was still smiling, and there was a softer look in his eyes—it was almost yearning. It made Jin's face go warm.

 _Disco lights._ Jin imagined Steve in full 1970's garb again, dancing his heart out under the glittering disco ball, and Jin wondered what songs he listened to. If he'd ever ask Jin to dance with him.

He was already imagining Steve's strong arms around him under the neon lights, leading him as they spun together across the dance floor, and Jin tried not to grin like a love-struck idiot.

He failed, and he was immensely grateful that Steve was looking back out into the water now. He reached up and turned his headlamps off.

"Maybe we'll see them," Steve said.

Jin switched his own lights off, too, and he followed Steve's gaze.

"Oh—look!" Steve pointed upward. "Up there—see them?"

Jin looked out to where Steve was pointing and saw several points of light in the distance. He leaned forward, squinting.

"They're... really far away," he said.

"Yeah." Steve sighed a little and dropped his hand back to the railing. "I wish they were closer."

"We can go out there," Jin suggested. "You know, get closer to them."

"I don't think we have enough time," Steve replied, sounding somewhat defeated. "We've gotta head back."

Jin nodded, still watching the lights. "Right."

"Another day. When they're closer." Steve turned his headlamps back on, and Jin did the same, and together they started back toward Site Tau.

* * *

** 2098-10-22 (Wednesday) **

Jin crossed the room to his computer and sat in front of it, monitoring the scan taking shape on the screen. Behind him, the machine whirred and hummed, roving over its new subject.

Another sabertooth—a bigger one. It had basically been torn to shreds, so Jin had to actually gather individual pieces—head here, body there, fins floating every-which-way out in the water—and slop them together before starting the scan.

Steve had asked him why the hell he needed to gather what was basically useless guts, and Jin had snapped that he needed evidence.

"Evidence for what?"

Jin turned incredulously and gave Steve a withering look, and then Steve seemed to get it. Anglerfish again. Not that he was happy about it.

"There are other ones that probably _aren't_ ripped apart, you know," he insisted.

"Okay, why don't you go find them, then? I'll be waiting in my lab." Jin turned to head back.

He heard Steve grumble something unintelligible as he reluctantly followed.

Jin was not the impatient sort, and Steve knew that. Yes, it was true that there were probably lots of other fish that had fallen victim to the mutated anglerfish—ones that weren't disemboweled and torn apart. However, this sabertooth was the first one Jin had found that had been mutilated to this degree. Stuff like that didn't just _happen._

So he needed to figure this one out.

Jin sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. He watched the image fill in bit by bit.

This fish was 77 centimeters in length, which was unheard-of. Ten of its forty-four vertebrae were missing; its attacker had presumably swallowed them, which was strange.

What predator would tear its prey apart just for the hell of it? Because it clearly hadn't wanted to _eat_ the thing.

And then— something else showed up. Jin leaned in closer. There was something on the fish's tongue.

The scan filled out more— and— what?

 _Teeth?_ On the _tongue?_ That couldn't be right.

....Could it?

Jin launched out of the chair and strode over to the machine again. He leaned in to scrutinize the fish —

 _Impossible._ But no— They were there. Three teeth right along the center of the tongue. One of them looked impacted.

"What the fuck?" Jin whispered.

The door behind him whooshed open, and Jin whipped around.

Steve stood frozen in the doorway, staring at him. He blinked.

"If you're busy, I'll come back," he said awkwardly, already turning to go, but Jin stopped him. How could he think Jin was still mad at him?

"No, get in here," he said. "I found something you might wanna see."

As Steve came closer, looking relieved, Jin turned back to the fish.

"Teeth," he said, gesturing at the fish's tongue. Steve leaned in over his shoulder, one hand coming to rest on the table very close beside him. Jin darted a glance at it and registered how calloused it was. A working man's hand.

Jin wondered what those hands would feel like around his waist. He was suddenly itching for Steve to move even closer, for him to press his chest against Jin's back and just enclose him in his arms and stay like that—

The machine in front of them beeped, ripping Jin from his daydream. He shook his head a little to clear his mind. His whole face was so hot that he swore Steve could probably feel it.

_Imagine the breakup._

Jin cleared his throat and leaned forward, away from Steve, but Steve's hand still lingered on the table.

"Three teeth..." mumbled Steve. "On the  _tongue?_ Damn." His hand left the table, and Jin heard him heading toward the computer.

Jin turned and watched his back as he leaned into the screen. Stars, those shoulders.

Jin cringed to himself, immensely grateful that Steve wasn't looking. "Three teeth, yes," he said quickly. And then, smugly: "And to think we almost didn't keep it."

Steve gave Jin a half-annoyed, half-amused look over his shoulder, and then he turned back to the screen and chuckled.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "We almost didn't."

Jin heard him click through something. He came closer to look.

"Your notes are really thorough already," Steve remarked, glancing at Jin again. "How long have you been at this?"

"I dunno, thirty, forty-five minutes?"

"Hmm." Steve straightened up, and his arm brushed against Jin's—It almost looked intentional, but Jin forced that idea out of his mind before it could take root. That was impossible.

"Pretty impressive for less than an hour," said Steve, and Jin couldn't help remembering other times he'd called him _impressive._

As Steve turned back to the scanner, he laid a hand on Jin's shoulder.

Oh— _s_ _tars._

"Don't kill yourself doing this," he said softly, and Jin at least had the presence of mind to properly scoff.

"I could say the same to you, Glass," he retorted.

Steve grinned and squeezed Jin's shoulder. "I know," he said, and then he winked at him for the second time ever as he drew away and walked toward the scanner.

* * *

**2098-12-20 (Saturday)**

As soon as Vic left their shared quarters, Jin pulled out the bottom drawer of his desk, brought the radio out, and set it on the table in front of his computer.

Satomi had given it to him eight years ago, back when she was eighteen and still in her retro phase and wanting everyone to experience the cultural enlightenment that apparently only old-as-dirt tech could provide.

She'd said this radio had finally quit on her, which was of course the only reason she'd ever trust her little brother with any of her possessions. Jin had taken it with a mumbled "Thanks," suppressing the very strong urge to roll his eyes.

It had been sitting on a shelf in his bedroom, gathering dust until about six months ago, when he'd decided to bring it down to Tau for sentimentality's sake. Sure, it had all the functionality of a brick at that point, but it still kind of meant something to him.

And he'd thought that maybe he could fix it up somehow. Maybe he'd surprise Satomi with it as a birthday gift or something.

He turned it to look at the back—it really was a _brick_ , this thing—and tugged at the back panel. The screw holding it closed was absent, so the panel came right off, allowing him to peer inside.

What looked at first like a mess of wires gradually started to make sense as Jin traced his finger along them. Satomi had said the speaker was broken, making the music sound muffled and distant, so Jin looked for the speaker's circuit board.

When he found it, he examined the wires and discovered that one was detached and the other was frayed. He reached over to grab the pliers on his desk and snipped them both away, wondering if any of the spare headsets in the dive room would have good replacements.

The sound of the door opening made Jin startle so badly he dropped the pliers and whipped around.

Steve was standing in the doorway, his mouth open and his brown eyes blown wide. "Shit, I didn't mean to scare you!"

Jin cleared his throat, managing an awkward laugh as he picked up the pliers again. "It's fine," he said. "I've just been working on this... while Vic's out." He gestured feebly at the radio on the desk. "I just got really absorbed."

"Well, I can come back later if you're working right now," Steve said. "Didn't mean to intrude."

"No, you can stay," Jin responded. "I thought you might be interested in this, actually."

Steve raised his eyebrows. "Really?" He came forward into the room. "What is it?"

"Old radio my sister had," said Jin, picking it up and turning it to its front side. " _Really_ old." He turned to offer it to Steve.

Steve took it and brought it close to his face, examining it from several different angles. His fingers skimmed the faded buttons, pressing some in or out.

"Open the top," said Jin, reaching up to point at the divot where the disk slot could be pried open. Steve lowered the radio back onto Jin's desk, leaning in to look, and Jin shifted to the side to make room for him.

Steve worked his finger beneath the lid and pulled up, letting the panel slide open. His eyebrows shot up again. "Wow," he breathed, leaning in to look at the lens. "CD player? This thing really _is_ old."

"I know," Jin agreed, smiling a little at how fascinated Steve already was. "I figured since you like old music, y'know...."

Steve chuckled. "You know me pretty well." He dashed a smile at Jin before going over to take Vic's chair and roll it up to Jin's desk.

"Speaking of which," Jin turned to face Steve, setting his pliers down on the desk. "How did you get into disco in the first place?"

Steve rested his hands on the back of the chair. "Funk, you mean?" He grinned and quirked an eyebrow—a look that made Jin's heart trip every time.

"Disco, funk, same thing," Jin retorted with a dismissive flick of his hand, and he was already grinning again. Like a love-struck idiot.

Steve stared at him for another second, his eyes glittering with challenge, and Jin stared right back, his grin spreading uncontrollably. He never liked bickering with anyone, but with Steve, it somehow made him ridiculously giddy. So he was a little disappointed when Steve broke eye contact, chuckling and shaking his head.

"It's a long story," he said, staring down at the radio. "I wouldn't know where to start." His smile was gentler now, and Jin felt a pang of longing deep inside him.

"I mean... we're not on a schedule," Jin contended, "and I do want to know how a man born in the _twenty_ -seventies ever started listening to music from the _nineteen_ -seventies." He grinned slyly. "Old man."

Steve gave Jin a half-disdainful look before relenting with a heavy sigh. He finally cracked a smile of his own. "Fine," he said, turning and walking over to shut the door.

"One thing to get out of the way first," Steve said as returned to sit beside Jin. "There's disco _music_ , and then there's disco _culture_. Two different things, but also not really."

"Wha—so—I'm right, then! The music _is_ called disco!"

"Well—" Steve paused mid-sentence, his mouth still open like his brain had stalled, and then he frowned. "Okay, I guess that's true. But funk is still different. And it's older than disco." He stopped again, searching for a better explanation, his brow still furrowed.

Jin sensed the lecture coming, so he seized the chance to redirect the discussion. "So—okay. How did you discover it?"

Steve smiled softly, gazing at the radio. "Videos online, really." He shrugged. "You know how algorithms go." He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the wall. "It was at a... weird time in my life, too."

Jin watched as Steve's smile gradually turned more somber, caught somewhere between turbulent sadness and peaceful nostalgia.

"My mom and dad were very open-minded people," he mused. "Had a New Age, very 'one with nature' kind of lifestyle, and they didn't care about money or social standings or anything like that." He sighed. "Trouble is we moved around all the time. They never liked staying in one place, so I had to switch schools a lot."

Oh.... Damn.

"That's.... That sounds rough," Jin said quietly.

Steve nodded. "They didn't think shit through, you know? Like—they had a kid, but they didn't... they didn't really _act_ like it." Steve's brow creased a little. "I mean, they loved me. They did. And they took care of me the best way they knew how. And they taught me how to go with the flow and be open to whatever comes my way. To turn bad situations into learning experiences because shit happens for a reason, and sometimes you have to find that reason on your own."

Steve took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He sat like that for a minute, and Jin just watched him.

"You know..." Steve eventually continued, "I think that's one thing I'm actually grateful for. The rest was just... a fucking mess."

"Disorganized?" Jin said quietly.

"I mean...." Steve opened his eyes, sitting up a little and staring at the radio again. "That was part of it, yeah...." He seemed to be mulling it over for a moment. "Yeah...." He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that's right. Their philosophies were definitely disorganized." He scoffed. "They were hypocrites. Especially when I told them I wanted to study deep-sea biology and work with artificial intelligence." He smiled sadly. "They said humanity shouldn't mess with the natural way of things. That science turns living things into objects and pokes around where it doesn't belong."

 _Where it doesn't belong._ Going by that logic, humanity should still be in the Stone Age. Jin frowned. "This... from people who claim to be open-minded?"

"Exactly!" Steve sat up straighter, his eyes regaining some of their light. "It's like—they wanted me to pursue my passions and follow my fascinations wherever they took me. But in the same breath they'd tell me I'm _wrong_. That I _shouldn't_ do this, _shouldn't_ do that, _shouldn't_ want to do what I _genuinely love_ _._ " He scoffed again. "It's fucked up."

Jin nodded. "And they're fundamentally wrong because we're not _messing_ with things down here. We're just studying them and trying to understand them."

"That's right." Steve looked at Jin and smiled. "See, _you_ get that. Everyone here does." He turned his eyes back to the desk again, back to the radio. "And the music.... I don't remember when exactly I first heard it, but I liked it immediately." He smiled. "It's dancing music, and it's just.... It just makes me feel _good,_ you know?"

Jin nodded, and Steve smiled wider.

"It's _real_ freedom," he said wistfully. "They're like—'We don't care who you are, what you've done, or where you're coming from. All that matters is that you're here, and you're dancing, and you're feeling good right in this moment.'"

Jin thought it over. He himself had never really experienced opposition to the same degree Steve had, much less from his own family. Everyone in his life had been proud of his achievements, celebrating his successes and congratulating him on getting his job with PATHOS-II.

Then again, he'd always had a tendency to get lost in his own head... so even if he _had_ run into obstacles, he probably wouldn't have even recognized them. He'd just shove past them, continuing resolutely on his course, blind to any conflicting—and potentially better—viewpoints because he was so caught up in his own passion.

Jin wondered how much he had actually missed because of that. Or how many people he had dismissed—or even hurt—in some way.

He didn't like thinking about it.

Steve seemed to notice Jin's silence, and he leaned forward to catch his eye. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Jin looked at him again. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." He had to focus on Steve right now. "Yeah, I'm just thinking about it. It's good that you've found something you really love." He looked into Steve's eyes now. "And...." He exhaled. "I'm... sorry about the whole... shitty parents thing. No one deserves that."

Steve gave another sad smile, and he shrugged. "I got through it in one piece. And I'm happier now that I'm here."

Jin nodded. "This is a good place."

"It is," Steve agreed, his smile softening into something more serene now. He glanced at Jin, then back at the radio, then at the tools on the desk. "It definitely is."

* * *

**2099-02-22 (Sunday)**

" _Ne...._ _Otouto_ is twenty- _three_ today!" On the computer screen at Jin's desk, Satomi was smirking.

"Yeah, yeah. How does that make you feel, _babaa?"_

Satomi feigned a look of shock. " _Ite,_ Jin! That stings! How dare you call your own sister an old lady!"

Jin laughed, and Satomi finally smiled for real.

"Seriously, though, happy birthday," she said. She took a sip of her seemingly omnipresent coffee. "How's life at Tau?"

"Ah... _lifelike_ ," he said smugly.

Satomi's eyes went wide as she let out a surprised laugh. "Don't give me that absolute _shit_ ," she cackled. "Fuckin' _lifelike._ No shit, Sherlock."

His sister was the one other person he kind of liked bickering with. He grinned.

"Okay, if you want the real answer," Jin finally began, "it's been good. Everyone is really nice to me. They understood that I was nervous, so they helped me out." Which he honestly hadn't expected.

"Good to hear." Satomi nodded. "So... what's good with the fishies?"

Jin snorted before he could stop it. _Fishies._ "Abyss trips? Dissections? Reports? What do you want to know?"

Satomi shrugged. "I dunno. Anything. I don't care. I mean, it's not top secret, right?"

"Nah." Jin chuckled. "We're not making bombs."

"Well, shit. _That_ would've been cool."

"Yeah, to _you_ , maybe," Jin teased. "You and your... _robot bombs._ "

It was Satomi's turn to scoff. "That would get me in trouble at work."

She worked at a small robotics company near the center of Tokyo, where she programmed little pet-bots to run around and interact with things. She built the actually _cool_ stuff in her free time. Robotic hands, self-piloting mail drones, even walking alarm clocks.

Robotics. Mechanical stuff. Jin thought immediately of the Power Suits.

"Haimatsu makes our diving suits," he said. "Power Suits. They take themselves apart, we get into them, and then they put themselves back together."

This seemed to get her attention. "Really? Like—are they in a chamber?"

"Yeah. There are robotic arms that come out and detach the pieces."

"Whoa...." Satomi was grinning in earnest, eyes clouding over as she imagined it. "And you use those every day?"

"A few times a week, yeah," Jin said. "For maintenance checks and specimen captures. Going out to other sites. We usually go in twos."

Satomi looked at him again. "Twos. That reminds me...." She leaned into the screen a little, her eyes glinting. "How are the, uh..." She waggled her eyebrows. "... _pickings?_ "

The _pickings?_ "Of... of _men,_ or...?"

"Yeah, you moron!" Satomi laughed. "C'mon, there are foreign guys there, right? Any nerds you're crushing on?"

"Uh...." Jin immediately thought of Steve, and he tried to suppress his ridiculous grin.

It didn't work. Satomi raised her eyebrows. "No way. There _is_ someone, isn't there?"

"Oh, fuck off!" Jin was already smiling, and he shook his head, and he tried to find a way to argue it, but he couldn't.

"What's his naaame?" she sang, smiling wide and looking more intrigued than ever.

"His name...." Jin looked off at the wall and grinned. "Fuck. His name is Steve Glasser."

"Steve Glasser...." Satomi repeated the name, testing it, feeling out its sound. "Steve." She smirked.

Jin nodded. His face was burning already. "I work with him a lot. He's... he's nice. Laid-back. Funny."

Satomi's smirk grew. "And _sexy_ , right? What's he look like?"

"You fucking...." Jin's face burned even hotter, and he hated it, but he was still smiling uncontrollably. He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Come on! Tell me!"

Jin exhaled. "He's... tall. Broad shoulders. Blond hair, stubble, brown eyes." He paused. "And a great smile," he finished.

Satomi was gawking at him.

"What?" Jin snapped.

"Uh, nothing." Satomi blinked. "But he actually sounds hot."

Jin narrowed his eyes. "Should I take offense to that?"

Satomi snorted. "That's up to you, _otouto._ " She grinned. "But if he's gay and you do get with him, you'd better keep him."

Jin sighed. "Yeah. We'll get there when we get there."

"Just make sure you actually _get there,_ " she insisted.

Jin nodded. "I'll try."

* * *

** 2099-03-12 (Thursday) **

Jin woke up lying on his back, savoring the feeling of Steve Glasser's lips moving against his, the stubble on his chin tickling his face, his hands sliding down around to his back and pressing him hard against his broad chest.

This was the fifth night in a row. The dreams had been on and off, and they'd all been essentially the same.

Jin didn't know how much more he could take.


End file.
